The Amazing Panda Adventure

A nice adventure in a chinese countryside,with breathtaking landscape, rivers and lakes absolutelly in clean waters, amazing Panda's cub, but the plot and the dialogues are boring and doesn't make sense, a lot of standard clichés, childish behavior, just for the kids!!! A little of imagination shall be better!!

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First watch: 1998 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 6

I watched this movie with friends and we laughed the whole way through. This would be fine, if the movie was a comedy, but instead its a bland and ultimately forgettable childrens flick. You can tell that RYAN only got the part because he was Christian Slaters brother, as he hams up the screen throughout its entirety. LING is certainly no better, her fake asian accent is pathetic, as is her acting ability. I realize they are only kids but there have been good child actors before, and these two aren't up to scratch. The real star of the show is the panda, it shows character throughout, especially in the scene when it attacks Ryan on the bridge. This of course excludes the scenes in which it is played by a robot, did the director actually think that thing looked like a real panda? Overall this film is bad, but watchable Family material. The kids will probably love it, but there are better films around. Rehire E.T., the Goonies, or even Toy story, these films are more sincere and watchable then this movie, and will actually be remembered in time to come.

GOOD - There is some wonderful Chinese mountain scenery in here, really beautiful. The pandas are "cute," too, as expected. They are always fun to watch.

BAD - Instead of this being about the pandas, the kids in here (or the screenwriters) make it more about themselves. Included in their scenes are some incredibly stupid dialog. Just as insulting was a big scene near the end where the children physically fend off the adult poachers. Yeah, right. In between, we get the normal plug for New Age "mountain spirits" and the like.

OVERALL - Entertaining but the kids in her are very annoying at times.....too annoying for a second viewing.

Pretty average as far as family films go but it's totally harmless and good for all ages, especially young children. The best part of the film is the scenic shots of China's mountains and forests, and young kids will be delighted to see a cute baby panda bumbling around throughout most of the film. Overall, if you have children and don't want to expose them to more adult-oriented films, this one is a pretty safe and entertaining option.

The boy-hero is a brat. He is American and imagines this entitles him to royal treatment. He is somewhat contemptuous of anything different. He sees the words only through his own eyes, only through his desires. He is selfish.

His father is a work-aholic Panda researcher who repeatedly forgets that his son exists.

The mother is an airhead.

The movie is filmed in China, in places far more beautiful that you would have imagine existed, turquoise lakes, mist-shrouded mountains, gorges. The differentness of China in every respect is just so juicy including the livestock.

I have no idea how they pulled of the special effects without killing someone, falling from creaking wooden bridges, falling over cliffs, being swept downstream in torrents, riding a runaway horse cart... They never let you get your breath before some other calamity overtook our heroes.

Most of the dialogue is in Chinese without subtitles, though sometimes the young female translator gives you a bowdlerised version. You get sense of what they are saying from the tone of voice.

Much of the fun comes from the dialogue between the translator and Ryan. They have such different world views, they are constantly misunderstanding each other. He talks about "bull" and she assumed he had switched the topic to livestock.

Certain things did not make sense. How could a weaning baby panda stay alive for many days without any food? How could Ryan Slater manage to carry the bear mile upon mile. It was half as big as he was. Surely he would have to rest every 10 feet or so especially when climbing. Maybe it was just a stuffed toy. What are the odds a watch battery would be the same as one needed for a tracking collar? What are the odds you could remove a watch battery without tools?